What's the cheapest official training I can do for VCP6.5?

[Christopher Dooks]

Hi all,

I've been working on VMware for around 10 years now, way back on 2.5 at the start.

While online training or attending a course would provide some benefit, a lot of it is going to be stuff that I've been doing in various capacities in my career.

Does anyone know what the cheapest VCP6.5-DCV qualifying training course is, preferably one that starts 8/9 AM UK time and is online?

For some reason I thought passing the VCP6.5-DCV exam would be enough but after passing it yesterday and actually reading the requirements, I was wrong! I don't think I'll have much difficulty doing the foundations exam, however due to being self-employed I find it difficult to part with £5k or so just to achieve official certification. If I'm spending that sort of money I'd rather do a VCAP level course where I feel I'd learn a lot more.

Had I have known yesterday I would have probably sat the remaining two MCSA exams for 2012 and then upgraded it to 2016.

Thanks.

[Scott Vessey]

Cheapest for the time being, when you're paying for your own training, is probably a VMware IT Academy (VITA) - although they can only offer VCP-qualifying training til the end of July.

I don't know of any UK-based VITA that offers the training online, nor any overseas VITAs that offer online training at UK-friendly times.

If you're flexible on timings, look at Stanly​ in the US. If you can do weekends in London I know some people who have trained with 360 GSP.

If the above VITA options aren't going to work, you should look at VMware Authorised Training Center (VATC) companies as Global Knowledge and QA.

Or, VMware's direct "live online" or "on demand" training.

You can take a higher-level class to meet the VCP training requirement, as mentioned on the VCP6.5-DCV page.

[AnthonyM]

I did the 5.5 course with Stanley, and timings were not an issue as everything is pre-recorded videos, or hands on labs that you can schedule 24/7.

If anything, being ok UK time made it easier to get at the labs when they were quiet :smileywink:.

[TheJohnBailey]

Training costs are high everywhere.  It is really a shame.  However, there are not any inexpensive paths to VCP6.5-DCV.  The current VMware Academy classes are only training on vSphere 6.0...

One assumes from your post that you have no current VMware certifications; but you have considerable experience.  You can use this to your benefit.

You might be able to find an existing VMware Partner in your area who could sponsor you in return for allowing them to include you as one of their certified people for a certain period (always sign a contract and read all the fine print).  Different Partner levels require increasing numbers of VCPs.  As you are self-employed, this might involve you in not competing with them and/or might allow you to work with/for them on various contracts.  Thus, a potential Win-Win for both of you.

Best wishes in your search!

[routing1000]

hi,

please check udemi training 19$ for vcp 6.5 dcv

https://www.udemy.com/vsphere-65-foundations/

[Scott Vessey]

Cheap, and might be very useful, but doesn't meet the official training requirement for VCP.

[N9YWA]

Hi,

I need an official answer from VMware regarding the exam 2V0-602 and 2V0-622 when it comes to manadory courses or not.

1. Do I need a course before I take those 2 exams? As do I need to get the training to get certified? What is the point to have the exams if you can't prove the VCP ?

2. On this link: vSphere 6.5 Foundations Exam  it says "Recomended Training, not as a "prerequisite training."

I am askig becase in order to get trained it will cost me around £3000 in UK.

With the Microsoft exams you just study and go to the exams.

Is this the same with VMware or ?

Thank you.

[Christopher Dooks]

You can do the exams whenever you want, but you need the course in order to attain the certification.

Global knowledge in the UK should give you some discount.

Either that or sit your CCNA, this allows you to bypass training and sit the VCP-NV exam, from there you can do DCV without doing a course.

[N9YWA]

Thank you, now I know. Thx

[N9YWA]

hi, do you have a link for that CCNA exam? a specific name for it? I can’t afford the £3000 to go directly For the VCP :smileysad:

[Scott Vessey]

This is maybe not as straightforward as you might think.

Holding certain Cisco certifications such as CCNA allow you to bypass the training requirement for VCP6-NV, not VCP6.5-DCV.

You would need Cisco routing and switching knowledge, and you'd need to know about vSphere, NSX, and some vSAN.

The overall journey to VCP6.5-DCV would be:

1. Gain the CCNA by passing 1 or 2 exams - see here for details: CCNA Routing and Switching - Cisco

2. Pass the 2 exams for VCP6-NV - choose the "Cisco" path here: VMware Certified Professional 6 – Network Virtualization (VCP6-NV)

3. Pass the 1 exam for VCP6.5-DCV - choose the "VCP6 or higher in a different track" path here: VMware Certified Professional 6.5 - Data Center Virtualization (VCP6.5-DCV)

[Christopher Dooks]

Perfectly answered as above. I only mentioned it as it could potentially save you the cost of doing the course, but you would off course have to sit more exams plus have Cisco knowledge.

Global Knowledge will do you a discount, speak to them and other official training partners. I paid something in the region of £1550 wish plus VAT, not cheap, and to be brutally honest I didn't learn much at all from the course I did (VSICM 6.7). 

[tdl68]

I'll add in here that my VCP expired (long story about starting a job with no real talk of doing VMware only talk about AWS, then oh hey, can you take over this VMware stuff...) 

As I checked into re-certifying and saw the cost of the required classes I've decided to bail.  My company won't pay up for it at this point, and I'm not fronting this cost.  I get, and really appreciate, the idea that VMware wants the certification to have real meaning, but the $2500 minimum (unless I'm missing other options) entry is pretty brutal.  Maybe if the cost of the exam was included it would help, but still not enticing enough for me to go back down this path. 

[Scott Vessey]

The learning paths for VCP6.5-DCV are on this page: VMware Certified Professional 6.5 - Data Center Virtualization (VCP6.5-DCV)

If you're new to VMware training and certification, there are 3 required (ie. mandatory) elements:

- Complete training

- Pass vSphere Foundations exam

- Pass VCP6.5-DCV exam

You can complete the requirements in any order you like, but until you've done all 3 things you won't be a VCP.

[N9YWA]

Thank You ! That is the answer I was expectin. Appreciate your time!

[Christopher Dooks]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I've been busy on a couple of contracts, one involving Server 2016 S2D and now on a Cisco contract, so I haven't had the time to sit down and plan anything. Now I'm in a fairly stable contract I've decided to splash out on myself.

I've now booked the VSICM 6.7 virtual course with Global Knowledge. It's online based and they offered me 50% discount. I intend to sit the Foundation exam afterwards, hopefully once I pass it will show in the education portal that I'm VCP certified.